In this episode, we're joined by Daniel Anderson, Founder and Principal Owner of Data Cloud Solutions, a Woolpert Company. We talk about flagship product Mobile Assessor, the power of productivity-enhancing technology, as well as other new trends in the assessment field. We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 Daniel’s background in assessment and computer science 00:35 The invention of Mobile Assessor and its later wider adoption How technology such as the iPad changed the industry Traveling a lot for work while growing a software company Flagship product: Mobile Assessor 6:25 A synchronization service that can attach to any database Increasing productivity by increasing efficiency of data entry Route optimization — solving the “traveling salesman problem” Being able to adjust to dynamic conditions and changing priorities Machine Learning (ML) and AI — the next step? 13:04 Extracting information from imagery to better utilize assessor time Recent growth in research and technology in ML and AI Error recognition vs change detection Advice to newcomers 17:04 Being open to change in both technology and operating procedure Supporting open data standards to support innovation and competition How to reach Daniel 19:55 https://woolpert.com/products/dcs-a-woolpert-company/ [email protected]

In this episode, we're joined by Director of Property Assessment Services Lloyd Funk in Manitoba, Canada, to talk about embracing new best practices, building trust with the public, as well as other new trends in the assessment field:  We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 Lloyd background 00:35 Tight labor markets and hiring in the industry 1:48 Tech trends 2:33 Tablet software instead of paper Using data science and AI Assessment in Manitoba 3:53 The diverse geography of the province Full market value assessment and details Challenges for specific  Strengths and/or special challenges in Manitoba 7:03 Messaging to taxpayers 7:47 The importance of fairness, confidence, and professionalism Getting new staff up to speed 9:15 Evaluating talent 10:27 Industry trends 11:18 AI and advanced data visualization (Power BI) Increasing transparency and trust with the public Advice to newcomers 12:11 Embracing change and innovation

In this episode, we're joined by Personal Property Supervisor Bryan Shuck at the Assessor’s Office in Cleveland County, Oklahoma to talk about assessment practices for the budding commercial marijuana industry, getting up to speed with new and best practices, as well as other new trends in the assessment field: We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 Bryan’s background 00:35 Bryan’s experience in construction and assessment Bryan’s IAAO education session: “Making Marijuana Personal” 2:52 Assessing different types of commercial marijuana facilities Key assets to look out for and approaches to valuation Looking out for what is on—and what is not on—the commercial tax return History of medical marijuana legalization in Oklahoma Current state of the marijuana industry Getting up to speed with commercial marijuana as an assessor 20:03 Learning from other state governments Learning through immersion (e.g. industry conferences) Advice for industry newcomers 23:01 Embracing change and new technology How to reach Bryan 26:06 Email: [email protected]

In this episode, we're joined by Assessor John Wilson of King County, Seattle to talk about the future of commercial versus residential real estate, the power of aerial imagery, as well as other new trends in the assessment field: We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 John’s background 00:35 Derrick’s experience in broadcast journalism, government, and assessment The importance of property taxation/assessment in funding local government How has the field changed in the last 10 years? 2:04 Unexpected exogenous shocks: global pandemic, inflation Overheated housing market Commercial vs residential — how WFH has changed the market The future of commercial real estate 4:58 Downward trend The difficulties of commercial to residential conversions What can we do about housing affordability? 6:12 Identifying opportunities for new housing to address immediate needs Streamlining housing permitting and construction New building techniques and products Derrick’s IAAO panel: “See More From the Air” 8:33 The benefits of aerial imagery: accuracy, efficiency Comparing aerial vs ground observation Identifying potential novel land uses Assessing damage from natural disasters Competition in the aerial imagery industry 11:14 Balloons, drones,  etc. Improved cost-effectiveness  Other technologies 12:18 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Data beyond evaluation and assessment  Advice for industry newcomers 14:29 Parting advice 15:21

In this episode, we're joined by Derrick Niederklein, Deputy Director at MIPS (Multi-County Information and Programming Services) in Lincoln, Nebraska to talk about Nebraskan assessment practices, building good teams and work cultures, as well as new trends in the assessment field: We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 Derrick’s background 00:35 Derrick’s experience in assessment, management, and team-building Assessment practices and ratio study standards Nebraska 2:56 Nebraska being a market value and full disclosure state What is COD (Coefficient of Dispersion)? What is PRD (Price Related Differential)? Approaches to assessing agricultural land How has the industry changed in the past 20 years? 5:42 The widespread adoption of technology by assessors The availability of technology to the general public Public trust in the era of wild market swings Building good teams and work cultures 7:25 What does a good culture look like? What does a bad culture look like? Broader meaning crisis — how to get people to feel purpose? Bridging generation gaps between industry veterans vs newcomers Handling conflict 15:12 Patience and understanding Identifying deeper problems and grievances Avoiding overlaps in duty How egos mess up work cultures The future of the assessment industry in the next two decades 19:34 “Hard” skills: Technological advancement “Soft skills” — the human element of explaining valuations to taxpayers Advice for industry newcomers 20:30 Investing in yourself Delivering and receiving constructive feedback 21:45 How to reach Derrick 22:48

In this episode, we're joined by Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele (and her Chief of Staff, Dan Balanoff) from Cook County, Illinois to talk about being an elected official, best practices, as well as new trends in the assessment field: We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 00:00 Samantha’s (and Dan’s) background 00:23 Samantha’s background in real estate brokerage, real estate valuation, tax representation, and elected office Important innovations 6:19 Working with old CAMA systems and moving towards upgrades Automation to handle high volume (of appeals) Moving towards automatic evaluation models 9:08 The need for more consistently updated data Difficulties and challenges when properties are not consistently (re)delineated and reassessed What is uniformity and why is it important? 11:46 Vertical vs horizontal equity Long term plans 13:30 Property appraisal is a long-term project Developing a better culture for the office What drives the high number of appeals in Cook County? 15:10 Attorney requirements Profit in the appraisal industry — bad incentives and lack of transparency Overcoming a history of corruption and lack of government trust in Illinois Parting advice 17:05 Getting involved with IAAO How to reach Sam

19: Monica Williams — Assessing in 2023 and Beyond In this episode, we're joined by Deputy Chief Assessment Officer Monica Williams from the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment to talk about being a public servant in the assessment field: We cover: Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast 0:00 Monica’s bio 00:51 Falling into an “accidental career” 20 years in various assessment tracks How has the assessment field evolved over the past two decades? 2:26 Inclusion of technology More attention paid to what assessors do; discussions on transparency Last few years of property markets 4:05 Explosively rising prices Challenges explaining how this affects property assessment What does transparency mean? How is it an industry challenge? 5:11 Internal vs External Explaining what people are paying for Explaining the difference between assessment and taxation Big career lessons 7:56 Getting started by being willing to learn Best practices in the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment 9:02 Encouraging personal and career growth Cultivating and picking talent The future of Philadelphia 12:11 Contending with the fact that housing affordability can get worse for both renters and buyers Possible solutions Monica’s IAAO panel: “Assessing in 2023 and Beyond” 14:10 Workforce transition — aging assessors Data and transparency — privacy concerns Integration of technology and assessment — pros and cons How has Philadelphia changed? What is “gentrification” and its implications? 18:06 The pros and cons of neighborhood improvement and change “Gentrification” can be both good and bad What should those in power do? Educating people on the why and how of change and its impacts Parting advice 19:42 How to reach Monica

In this episode, we're joined by Jim McCathern, Vice President of Sales & Business Development Tax & CAMA Vertical at Catalis to talk about being a technological leader and new trends in the assessment field: Jim’s background 0:01 Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast Jim’s background in real estate valuation and architecture The founding story of Patriot Properties 2:32 Difference in technology back in the 1980s The development of CAMA (Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal) systems as a way to scale up assessment Where the CAMA market is going 4:23 Speed of technological development vs government change Transition towards cloud-based computing and automation Transparency and availability of information The fragmentation of the CAMA market 8:49 Variation of property assessment and taxation by state Patriot Properties’ expansion from Massachusetts to the rest of the US How to think about growth 9:28 Horizontal (more states) vs vertical (more cities within states) Strategy Advice for assessors buying a new CAMA system 10:25 Having an open mind about workflow How to adapt to new technology Accommodating existing vs introducing new practices Parting advice 12:39

In this episode, we're joined by Assessor Russell Hill of Washington County, Arkansas to talk about being a leader and new trends in the assessment field: We cover: Russell’s background 0:01 Introduction to Assessment Matters podcast Russell’s background in real estate valuation. What is needed from leadership to better and more efficiently keep up with rapid growth? Russell’s bio and big ideas for the future 2:31 Entering office as an elected official without much technical experience How government can succeed in serving business Experience working in freight brokerage How being a church pastor can prepare someone to be a leader Additional challenges beyond growth 7:44 Managing a growing staff in the midst of a global pandemic Adapting to new technology Be willing to try new things, experiment, and “fail forward” Big opportunities in the next decade in the assessment field 8:40 Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a source of unknown factors and potential capabilities How generational turnover and technology will impact the assessment field In office vs remote vs hybrid working 9:51 How local constituent needs affect workplace arrangements Trends towards more things being done on the Internet Learning on the job, especially for new leaders 11:10 How can someone who doesn’t have as much context/experience in assessment, do a good job? Understanding the difference between staff versus leadership, and what leaders need to do What happens when something goes wrong? The importance of communication Best practices 18:54 The importance of mission statements and core values How to use education effectively? Training new leaders and setting people up for success Parting advice 24:33 Be a student Be ready for change — embrace it, be a part of it, create it!

We cover: Jimmy’s background. 0:01 Introduction to Jimmy Williams Jimmy's background and background in real estate valuation. Land impacts everything. The value of land. 4:07 Land is a big deal. Location is more important than dirt in land. Land is still land even in major cities. How it affects education and criminal justice. The neighborhood lifecycle of property value. 7:03 Philadelphia is a city of the haves and have-nots. How land affects the economy. The neighborhood lifecycle and why it's so important. The best and worst neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The housing crisis has hit national discourse. 11:01 The housing crisis has really hit the national discourse. Philadelphia is a super local place. Boston is the cheapest big city in the northeast. Post-pandemic, prices are going up. The problem with long term mortgages. 14:18 Housing shortage in the us. Philly is changing to accommodate the housing shortage. What do you see for housing in philadelphia? 16:13 The next 10-20 years for philadelphia. The hard dichotomy between housing being cheap and cheap. Why housing works as an investment. The behavioral economics of real estate. How he got interested in mass appraisal modeling. 21:00 The evolution of the mass appraisal division in philadelphia. How shante got started in the profession. Opportunities in the valuation technology and explainability. 23:15 The biggest issue in the valuation space. The conflict between accuracy and explainability. Importance of being able to explain the model. Opportunities in the modeling space. Advice for people just getting started in the industry. 27:09 Everything goes back to the land. Advice for someone just getting started in the industry. Connections between the lane and everything else. Where to find Jim online.